--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is well to be independent also well…" description: "\"It is well to be independent also well not to be neutral.\" — Lajos Kossuth" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/lajos-kossuth-11447_independent_it-is-well-to-be-independent-also-well-n_2223685.jpg" --- # It is well to be independent also well not to be neutral. ![“It is well to be independent also well not to be neutral.” quote by Lajos Kossuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/lajos-kossuth-11447_independent_it-is-well-to-be-independent-also-well-n_2223685.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/lajos-kossuth-11447_independent_it-is-well-to-be-independent-also-well-n_2223685.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/lajos-kossuth-11447_independent_it-is-well-to-be-independent-also-well-n_2223685.jpg) > “It is well to be independent also well not to be neutral.” [Lajos Kossuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Encourages independence while warning against passive neutrality, urging active engagement. **In simple terms:** Be independent and avoid doing nothing. Key Takeaway Take a stand, don’t stay neutral. Themes politics independence activism Mood serious thoughtful Type philosophical political When to use this quote - voting - community organizing - public debate Key Concepts civic duty ethical responsibility personal agency Questions to Reflect On - When is neutrality justified? - What are the risks of forced independence? A Different Perspective Neutrality can be strategic in some contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Neutrality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neutrality/) ## Related quotes > [“You can not have empty or neutral mind, as long as you work the mind will contain dreams, if you stop working it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/you-can-not-have-empty-or-neutral-mind-as-long-as-you-work-the-mind/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [You can't be neutral on a moving train.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/you-can-t-be-neutral-on-a-moving-train/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [The heart is never neutral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-ashley-cooper-7th-earl-of-shaftesbury/the-heart-is-never-neutral/) [Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-ashley-cooper-7th-earl-of-shaftesbury/) > [If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/if-you-are-neutral-in-situations-of-injustice-you-have-chosen-the-2/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Personally, I think neutral is just another way of saving your own ass at the expense of someone else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/personally-i-think-neutral-is-just-another-way-of-saving-your-own-ass/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Being single...u can be neutral...doesn't mean u love or hate...be with one or the other...take care of urself..what's wrong with that?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-k/being-single-u-can-be-neutral-doesn-t-mean-u-love-or-hate-be-with-one/) JACKIE K > [Indeed, it is impossible to be neutral. In a world already moving in certain directions, where wealth and power are already distributed in certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/indeed-it-is-impossible-to-be-neutral-in-a-world-already-moving-in/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“I don't represent anyone's opinion. Not even my own. I'm neutral.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ljupka-cvetanova/i-don-t-represent-anyone-s-opinion-not-even-my-own-i-m-neutral/) [Ljupka Cvetanova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ljupka-cvetanova/) > [There's no time in life to be in neutral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mcdermott/there-s-no-time-in-life-to-be-in-neutral/) Greg McDermott > [The rights of neutrality will only be respected when they are defended by an adequate power. A nation, despicable by its weakness, forfeits even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/the-rights-of-neutrality-will-only-be-respected-when-they-are/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [Never break the neutrality of a port or place, but never consider as neutral any place from whence an attack is allowed to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horatio-nelson/never-break-the-neutrality-of-a-port-or-place-but-never-consider-as/) [Horatio Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horatio-nelson/) > [The United States must be neutral in fact as well as in name… We must be impartial in thought as well as in actiona…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/the-united-states-must-be-neutral-in-fact-as-well-as-in-name-we-must/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/if-you-are-neutral-in-situations-of-injustice-you-have-chosen-the/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [In every encounter we either give life or we drain it; there is no neutral exchange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/in-every-encounter-we-either-give-life-or-we-drain-it-there-is-no/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [Neutrality, as a lasting principle, is an evidence of weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/neutrality-as-a-lasting-principle-is-an-evidence-of-weakness/) [Lajos Kossuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/) ## More by Lajos Kossuth > [Old age likes to dwell in the recollections of the past, and, mistaking, the speedy march of years, often is inclined to take the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/old-age-likes-to-dwell-in-the-recollections-of-the-past-and-mistaking/) [Lajos Kossuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/) > [The cause of freedom is identified with the destinies of humanity, and in whatever part of the world it gains ground by and by,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/the-cause-of-freedom-is-identified-with-the-destinies-of-humanity-and/) [Lajos Kossuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/) > [I consider that it is on instruction and education that the future security and direction of the destiny of every nation chiefly and fundamentally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/i-consider-that-it-is-on-instruction-and-education-that-the-future/) [Lajos Kossuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/) > [In my opinion, the form of Government may be different in different countries, according to their circumstances, their wishes, their wants. England loves her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/in-my-opinion-the-form-of-government-may-be-different-in-different/) [Lajos Kossuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/) > [The brave are parsimonious of threats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/the-brave-are-parsimonious-of-threats/) [Lajos Kossuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/) > [I believe that the confidence of Hungary in me is not shaken by misfortune nor broken by my calumniators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/i-believe-that-the-confidence-of-hungary-in-me-is-not-shaken-by/) [Lajos Kossuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/) > [The Hungarian ministry begged the king earnestly to issue orders to all troops and commanders of fortresses in Hungary, enjoining fidelity to the Constitution,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/the-hungarian-ministry-begged-the-king-earnestly-to-issue-orders-to/) [Lajos Kossuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/) > [Bravery is often too sharp a spur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/bravery-is-often-too-sharp-a-spur/) [Lajos Kossuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/) > [If I had undertaken the practical direction of military operations, and anything went amiss, I feared that my conscience would torture me, as guilty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/if-i-had-undertaken-the-practical-direction-of-military-operations/) [Lajos Kossuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/) > [Ethics may be defined as the obligations of morality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/ethics-may-be-defined-as-the-obligations-of-morality/) [Lajos Kossuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/) > [Let him who looks for a monument to Washington look around the United States. Your freedom, your independence, your national power, your prosperity, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/let-him-who-looks-for-a-monument-to-washington-look-around-the-united/) [Lajos Kossuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/) > [Liberty is a principle; its community is its security; exclusiveness is its doom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/liberty-is-a-principle-its-community-is-its-security-exclusiveness-is/) [Lajos Kossuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/) > [Your generous part in my liberation is taken by the world for the revelation of the fact, that the United States are resolved not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/your-generous-part-in-my-liberation-is-taken-by-the-world-for-the/) [Lajos Kossuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/) > [Argument is not always truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/argument-is-not-always-truth/) [Lajos Kossuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/) > [My principles in respect of religious interest are two,--one is, that the Church shall not meddle with politics, and the government shall not meddle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/my-principles-in-respect-of-religious-interest-are-two-one-is-that/) [Lajos Kossuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/) [Explore all 60 Lajos Kossuth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/) ## More Independent quotes > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [I was in high school and I had an independent album out, and we kept sending that out, and I was doing shows. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hilton/i-was-in-high-school-and-i-had-an-independent-album-out-and-we-kept/) [Tyler Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hilton/) > [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [Almost everywhere we find . . . the use of various coercive measures, to rid ourselves as quickly as possible of the child withinus--i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/almost-everywhere-we-find-the-use-of-various-coercive-measures-to-rid/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [Play small ball. Get back to basics. I would say that you need to be a conservative, but you need to maintain your independent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-tantaros/play-small-ball-get-back-to-basics-i-would-say-that-you-need-to-be-a/) [Andrea Tantaros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-tantaros/) > [The beauty of New York is unintentional; it arose independent of human design, like a stalagmite cavern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-beauty-of-new-york-is-unintentional-it-arose-independent-of-human/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [Here are the good things about independent films: They do the more interesting, chancy scripts. They're run by love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/here-are-the-good-things-about-independent-films-they-do-the-more/) [William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/) > [My best business decision was to be independent as a musician and artist. My worst was compromising on certain aspects of a deal for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziggy-marley/my-best-business-decision-was-to-be-independent-as-a-musician-and/) [Ziggy Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziggy-marley/) > [I take up the standpoint that the tendency to aggression is an innate, independent, instinctual disposition in man, and I come back now to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/i-take-up-the-standpoint-that-the-tendency-to-aggression-is-an-innate/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Adam Clayton Powell's entire political career has to be looked at in the entire context of the American history and the history of, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/adam-clayton-powell-s-entire-political-career-has-to-be-looked-at-in/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [We're also fairly stubborn, I think, fairly independent. We have our share of difficulties with our federal government, although I've tried to as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-miller/we-re-also-fairly-stubborn-i-think-fairly-independent-we-have-our/) [Dan Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-miller/) > [If I had lost the popular vote but won the electoral college and in my first day as president the intelligence community came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/if-i-had-lost-the-popular-vote-but-won-the-electoral-college-and-in/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I can say across Europe that many principles that have been taken for granted here around free speech, and around civil liberties and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-can-say-across-europe-that-many-principles-that-have-been-taken-for/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [As the longest serving Independent in the history of the United States Congress, as somebody who came into office by defeating an incumbent Democratic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/as-the-longest-serving-independent-in-the-history-of-the-united/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) Browse all 3,362 Independent quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is well to be independent also well not to be neutral.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lajos Kossuth" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/it-is-well-to-be-independent-also-well-not-to-be-neutral/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Independent" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/it-is-well-to-be-independent-also-well-not-to-be-neutral/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/lajos-kossuth-11447_independent_it-is-well-to-be-independent-also-well-n_2223685.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/lajos-kossuth-11447_independent_it-is-well-to-be-independent-also-well-n_2223685.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/lajos-kossuth-11447_independent_it-is-well-to-be-independent-also-well-n_2223685.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is well to be independent also well not to be neutral.” — Lajos Kossuth", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Lajos Kossuth", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is well to be independent...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/it-is-well-to-be-independent-also-well-not-to-be-neutral/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/it-is-well-to-be-independent-also-well-not-to-be-neutral/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```